By the time Leo Rossi came through the front doors, the woman who had risked everything for his daughter was bleeding on his kitchen floor

The basement of an abandoned warehouse on the Chicago docks smelled of rust, stagnant water, and fear.

Victoria Kensington sat tied to a steel chair under a single overhead light bulb. Her silk blouse was torn, her blonde hair matted, and her face pale with terror.

Across the concrete room, Mateo stood quietly, cleaning his fingernails with a small pocketknife.

The heavy steel door swung open. Leo walked in, his black leather coat slick with rain. He was followed by two guards dragging the bruised, battered bodies of the two mercenaries Victoria had hired.

Victoria screamed, shaking against her restraints. "Leo! Leo, please! It wasn't my idea! My father made me do it! He wanted revenge!"

Leo walked over to her, stopping three feet away. He looked down at her with absolute disgust.

"Your father is currently in a federal holding cell in Washington," Leo said coldly. "He gave up your location thirty minutes after his arrest in exchange for a lighter sentence. He threw you to the wolves, Victoria."

"Please, Leo!" Victoria wept, her voice echoing in the vast space. "We were supposed to get married! I loved you! You chose a housemaid over me! A pathetic, oversized servant who cleans floors!"

Leo leaned down, his face inches from hers. His eyes were devoid of any human warmth.

"She is twice the woman you will ever be," Leo whispered, every word sharp enough to draw blood. "She has more dignity in her pinky finger than your entire bloodline possesses. You are nothing, Victoria. A hollow shell filled with vanity and cruelty."

He stood back up, pulling a leather file from his coat.

"You are not going to prison, Victoria," Leo said.

Victoria blinked, a flicker of desperate hope appearing in her eyes. "You're... you're letting me go?"

"No," Leo replied smoothly. "Prison is too comfortable for you. I have purchased your father's remaining debts from the Italian syndicate in New York. You now owe twelve million dollars to people who do not accept excuses."

Victoria’s eyes widened in horror. "No... no! Leo, please!"

"You will spend the rest of your life working off that debt in a processing facility in South America," Leo said, turning his back on her. "You wanted to mock women who do hard labor, Victoria? Now you will learn what hard labor feels like."

"Leo! LEO!" Victoria screamed hysterically as Mateo stepped forward with two guards to remove her from the room.

Leo walked out into the rain, pulling out his phone.

He dialed the mansion. The phone rang twice before a soft, warm voice answered.

"Hello?" Beatrice said.

The coldness in Leo’s heart melted instantly. The fury that had driven him all night vanished, replaced by a deep, overwhelming peace.

"How are your ribs?" Leo asked gently, stepping into his waiting limousine.